Gather, fellow Hearthlings, and hear the tale…of the Kingdom of Isola
The nation became infamous for its very… many… failed… attempts… and leaders…
…almost as if a certain player had a really bad habit of starting a game that had too much experimental content, or just plain forgetting about it and starting a new one…
Ahem, sorry, the Bard does have a bad habit of being a bit meta at times…
But Kitty the Bard does, in fact, have a tail to tell you; the founding of Isola’s capital city, Hearthen Spirit, in a biome known as the Pillar of Unity.
Those who know of the kingdom, know of the Capital city in all its glory:
[picture here]
But naturally, it was not always the mighty wonder you see before you now. Come, listen to the Bard’s tale about how the glorious city came to be, that would one day spread itself across many new territories of different biomes…once it got its colonial expedition problem sorted…
While those among them were all considered to be members of the Ascendency, I’ve come find learn that the citizens of this nation are not necessarily those born to it, as those who were taken in and adopted its customs, which they carried with them when they agreed to embark on this adventure. Today, their names and images are in our city’s historical documents, all prim and proper in ways true to the government. But here is a look at them as they were known then:
Shay “Kat” Katchi:
A troubled young soul by most accounts; quiet, but with a dark sorrow deep in her eyes. It was largely suspected she joined the initial caravan to escape whatever previous life it was that had left such a terrible mark on her being. She largely kept to herself, and while her body was frail, her mind was as sharp as her knife and her spirit boundless. Kat proved herself to be a very capable survivalist, able to handle any animal large or small. Indeed, she seemed much more at ease with them than she was any of the caravan, save for mayhaps “Loki”.
Stats: Mind 6, Body 2, Spirit 5; Callous
Profession: Trapper
Kai “Loki” Colt:
A mischievous young man known for easily growing bored and seeking out new forms of entertainment, leading to a passion both for handicrafts when he would create something new each day to keep himself amused, and with plants from whenever he would get sent outside with people citing “concerns for personal property”. When stuck outside, he would often seek out “Kat” to try to coerce her into conversation or sharing a meal, and is rumoured to be smitten with her. His determination to try to find any excuse to spend time with her resulted in an impassioned study of herbal remedies and healing methods to aid when her hunting would cause her to run afoul of more temperamental entities.
Stats: Mind: 5, Body 4, Spirit: 4; Green Thumb, Heart of a Crafter
Profession: Herbalist, later Cleric
Perl “Mustachio” Barchen:
A very cheerful man with a bounce in his step, a thick accent that suggested he was from the Northernmost reaches of the Ascendency, and the most magnificent facial hair. He would tell epic tales whenever given the opportunity, including stories about his time as a performer and his love for making fabulous costumes. His sewing skills would get put to use again in the days to come.
Stats: Mind: 6, Body: 3, Spirit: 2; Magnificent Beard
Profession: Worker, later Tailor
Amora:
Only a small amount was known about Amora initially; the guard accompanying them stated she was there to help as some kind of deal. The dark hood she wore meant only her piercing red eyes were seen initially, but when she spoke, her words were like honey, offered freely to those who needed a moment of kindness to rejuvenate their spirits, and her dark hards worked materials into crafts with great skill.
Stats: Mind 6, Body 2, Spirit: 2; Charismatic, Empathetic
Profession: Carpenter
Silas “Thor” Randor:
A man strong in body, spirit, personality, and confidence; Silas “Thor” Randor was once a warrior destined to serve as the captain of the king’s guard. After an unfortunate incident involving being caught with a nobleman’s daughter when her pet poyo wandered out with his helmet, “Thor” quickly accepted a position to serve as the guardian of the caravan headed to settle the new land; when he learned his “brother” and childhood friend “Kat” would also be part of the caravan, he led them all in boisterous bawdy bar tunes, paying little head to the fact no one else was singing along and the several mudballs ineffectively thrown at him.
Stats: Mind 3, Body 5, Spirit 5
Profession: Footman, later Knight
Kaylee Meaney:
A sweet young redhead from the countryside, hailed as something of a prodigy in her home village. Indeed, she proved to be quite skilled, easily patching up the caravan’s wagon when it broke down on the way to the settlement site and even improving it with reinforcements - entirely with scrap materials she scavenged on the wayside. She spoke with great passion at great length, seemingly without any kind of social limitation or general filter on her speech; but everything was clearly well read, and the others listened in to gleam bits of her knowledge.
Stats: Mind 5, Body 6, Spirit 5; Opinionated, Professor
Profession: Mason, later Engineer
Wynaut Aniwhy:
A man swift in both voice and step, Wynaut was exceptionally eager to reach and explore the new lands. While not a dull man by any means, it quickly became clear that his focus could be a bit…lacking as his attention quickly switched from one thing to the next to the third, then back again, without seeming to notice.
Stats: Mind: 4, Body: 3, Spirit: 4; Charismatic, Featherweight
Profession: Worker
The caravan was loaded up with what was dubbed the “Architect Toolbox Loadout”, bringing loads of clay, stone, and logs in addition to the tools for a carpenter, mason, and potter to set to work as soon as able. It was the intent that this colony should be settled as quickly as possible, so it may grow to untold measure; and, truly, it did, seeing what we know of it now.
If you’ve never seen a map of the territory before it became the bustling city center it is now, have a look at the old scout’s sketch:
(Don’t mind the dice; there was a gambling issue with the scouts of old for a long while)
The view always has been quite beautiful.
